So I have four mice, and two of them are moms of the other two. The moms are Sam and Sheen and about 2-3 months ago they were treated with doxy/baytril for 2 weeks for a URI. Their symptoms at that time were mostly noisy, clicking breathing and sneezing once in a while. All was well until I moved back into my dorm for the school year. A few weeks ago I noticed constant sneezing from Sam and Sheen again. There was also a small weird dot on Sheen's face like she had been scratching or something but I didn't notice her doing anything and it hasn't gotten any worse. Anyways, a week and a half ago I decided to start giving them doxy/baytril again because their sneezing was so constant. Although it's not as bad, they still sneeze a lot. Sam's ears were also red and I saw a little bit of dried blood, but it is because she started to scratch a lot. It's a lot less red now, but she still scratches. Sheen also scratches/bites her leg quite a bit, but I'm not sure if I'm being too paranoid about it because it could also be a part of her grooming routine? So my question is, has anyone experienced something like this? Do you think it is still a URI or something else? Also, an important piece of info is that their breathing sounds pretty close to normal and that they're eating and playing around as normal. They currently eat Mazuri pellets and a seed mix. I'm also wondering if the Mazuri pellets are too high in protein for them, maybe causing allergies? I don't know if/how long I should keep giving them the antibiotics or if I should see how they do without it after the 2 week mark. Any advice would be so helpful and much appreciated

EDIT: sam now has marks on her face and under her chin that I'm assuming she's scratching a lot. How can I heal these?

Maybe try giving their cage a thorough cleaning? It could be a reaction to their bedding if it’s dusty. Maybe try switching to paper based? And a lot of protein definitely could cause some itching so maybe toning the pellets down on their diet could help. I’m no expert but those could be some things to consider. My mouse has actually been making a lot of chirping noises lately which is worrying me. She’s still energetic, eats and drinks and seems happy but I can’t help feel worried about the noises she’s been making lately, I’m not sure if it’s just happy noises or something serious, might take her to the vet soon just in case.

This post is from September 2018. Not sure how it went unanswered then. I hope all was figured out.

For future reference (or for any one else reading with similar questions)- finish all medicine as prescribed by the vet, even if they appear to be doing better sooner. And yes, Mazuri pellets are super high in crude protein which can cause itching. The average pet mouse from untracked lines only needs about 12-14% crude protein. There’s more info on itching in this thread: [url] https://www.petmousefanciers.com/t17-itching-hair-loss-and-parasites[/url].

@kyara_cresci Is she making this noise constantly? If so I would make an appointment with your vet. But if she’s only making these chirping noises when she’s excited or nervous, she may just be a chatty mouse. @Scaredymouse has a video posted around here somewhere of an example of a chatty mouse. But of course if you’re still worried or there are any other signs that concern you, a vet appointment wouldn’t hurt anything.

@CallaLilyYes she’s been making little noises for the past week I believe, before that she was silent. But she’s pregnant and due any time now. I talked to my vet and they said medicine would not be a good idea anyways while she is still pregnant. So I have to wait one way or the other for a vet appointment :/ hope she’s okay. Like I said she’s eating fine and is as energetic as always so that’s a bit reassuring.

I hope she’s not! Maybe because I’m not taking her out to play as often as before? I wouldn’t want her to be away from her nest in case the babies come. But thank you for replying. I’ll keep in touch with my vet and I will take her to get checked as soon as possible:)